Hannah Linenkugel is a senior majoring in Communications Science and Disorders and hopes to become a Clinical Audiologist. Beyond academics, she is actively involved on campus, most notably being president of Florida State University (FSU)’s chapter of Delta Nu Zeta (DNZ). This week I got to sit down with her and talk about all things DNZ, and here’s what she had to say!
Her Campus (HC): What is DNZ?
Hannah Linenkugel (HL): DNZ is a community service-based sorority. We’re non-panhellenic, meaning we don’t adhere to the panhellenic council and are defined as a “social service sorority.” The social aspects that we participate in are a lot of things that a traditional sorority would, such as big/little, retreat, formal and semi-formal, all that jazz! For the service aspect, we have our main philanthropy which is Companion Animal Rescue Endeavor (CARE), in which we both work with their animal hospital and fundraise for them. Service is a big part of our requirements to be a member of this organization, with 20 hours being required for all active sisters. We also participate in different service activities such as Dance Marathon, Light The Night, Relay For Life, etc. Our three pillars are passion, sisterhood and charity, so these three things are what we try to live by as an organization. Passion means we try to stay passionate with everything we do, sisterhood is every person in the community feels included and welcomed, and charity, which as I previously mentioned we put a strong emphasis on.
HC: What makes DNZ different from other sororities/on-campus organizations?
HL: I think DNZ’s accessibility makes it important and special compared to other organizations. I like that fact that we don’t turn anyone away based on appearance, socioeconomic status or any other factor. We are really trying to meet the most authentic version of you and authenticity is something that is so important to this organization. I think that emphasis on making everyone equal and not being prejudiced makes it very influential. DNZ is looking for people who really care about growing as a community and bettering the community that we have at FSU and the greater Tallahassee area. It felt like a perfect fit for me and I think a lot of our members agree!
HC: What made you want to rush DNZ and what made you want to go on to pursue leadership in this organization?
HL: The main reason I wanted to rush DNZ is because I came from out of state. I’m originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and when I decided to go to FSU, I didn’t know anyone here. So, it was really important to me to get involved and find my place on campus. I was really attracted to the idea of both social and service that DNZ offers. When I was scrolling through Nole Central trying to find an organization that best suited me, I saw “social service” sorority and after going to an info night, I fell in love with DNZ and what they stood for.
Regarding pursuing leadership, when I care a lot about something I like being able to help give back to that community. Last year, I was the VP of Finance which was a good learning opportunity for me. When I was in that position, I was working a lot with event planning and the other chairs. Through that, I really fell in love with the idea of making this program that I care so much about and that has done a lot for me, better. That was the main reason I wanted to be the DNZ president, the idea of helping the sisters and new people falling in love with DNZ the same way I have.
HC: What are your responsibilities as president?
HL: My main responsibility is overseeing the executive board and chair positions. One of my main responsibilities is to lead chapter meetings, both the chapters for initiated sisters and those that we have for new members as well. I do a lot with scheduling, making sure everyone has their role done, and when that doesn’t happen, I step up with that. A lot of the time, I’m helping people who don’t exactly know what the expectations are in their position or if people need extra assistance. It’s a lot of checks and balances between the other members! I also lead the exec-board chapter every week to make sure everyone is on the same page.
HC: What have you learned so far from being involved in the leadership of this organization?
HL: In the leadership of this organization, I’ve learned a lot about collaboration and working towards a group mindset goal. I think, in a leadership position it’s easy to know what you want and just do that, but my main goal is to collaborate with the members of the exec-board and sisters of DNZ to make sure everything is as efficient as possible. That turns into a lot of open questions, getting feedback/opinions, and changing things that may have happened previously but don’t work. I also have learned a lot about time management skills and how I lead as an individual. When things could go either way or when everyone has a different opinion, as president I have the final say. Being confident in my own decision-making skills is something I have grown in and making decisions that are best for the entire group. I have learned to allow collaboration but also understanding as my responsibility as president to make those final decisions.
HC: What advice would you give for anyone interested in joining DNZ?
HL: I would invite anyone who is interested to reach out to any of our sisters! Other advice I would give to anyone going through our rushing process is to be the most authentic version of yourself. DNZ really prides itself in our ability to let everyone be the truest version of ourselves, we don’t push those pressures of socioeconomic status or physical appearance and that really opens the door to let people be genuine. Our main goal is to understand who you are as a person and the different goals/ambitions you have and that your ideas and personality align with our own! Be open, be honest, be yourself and we would be so happy to get to know you!
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